Young Girl and Man Rescued from Cistern in Louisville

Emergency crews have rescued a child and an adult from an abandoned cistern at a Louisville park.

Capt. Salvador Melendez of the Louisville Fire Department said rescue crews were called to Russell Lee Park early Thursday evening after two people fell into a brick-lined cistern that is 14 feet deep and about 2 1/2 feet wide. There was no water in it.

He said the child, a 2-year-old girl, was rescued first, about an hour after she fell in. The adult man, described as a coach at the park where youth league football games are played, was rescued by firefighters about 15 minutes later.

Melendez said the man, 46, was attempting to rescue the girl when he fell in, too.

Both were taken to hospitals. They had suffered no apparent physical injuries.